


Investing in LoVe

by DarkVoid116



Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Baseball, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:20:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28035306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkVoid116/pseuds/DarkVoid116
Summary: When a new case brings Veronica Mars to California, she meets Logan Echolls, who shows her time and time again he isn't what he seems.
Relationships: Logan Echolls/Veronica Mars
Comments: 5
Kudos: 39





	Investing in LoVe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CubbieGirl1723](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CubbieGirl1723/gifts).



> This is a present & thank-you to CubbieGirl1723 for her help & friendship as a beta-reader, cheerleader, plotter and more the past few months. I leaned very much into the Cubs angle for you, Cubbie. Enjoy!
> 
> Beta-read by the awesome ayyohh, without whom this story definitely wouldn't exist.
> 
> This story is complete at three chapters, so the other two should come shortly.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beta-read by ayyohh.
> 
> TW for canon-adjacent child abuse discussion.

Entering the Wrigley Field offices underlied how surreal Veronica’s career was. Growing up in Neptune, her baseball team fandom options consisted of a Brooklyn transplant and a couple of expansion teams. Her father’s lifelong attachment to the Padres drove her in that direction, but not strongly enough to prevent the Windy City from winning her over. 

The rich history of the Cubs, and specifically their quirky, fun ballpark, had partially been what convinced her to take this job. The owner of the team needed a reliable lawyer to vet potential investors, stadium partners, agents, and the like; thankfully, her law firm finally gave into Veronica requests for more fulfilling casework.

Each hallway was decked out to the ceiling with framed pictures of a host of Cubs legends, past and present. Kris Bryant. Ryne Sandberg. Mark Grace... She knew the names from her near-decade living in Chicago. The mystique of Wrigley captivated her so fully, and her roommate Wallace told her stories of his childhood. Each one grew her appreciation of this franchise more. 

Veronica stopped at a particularly excellent painted rendition of Ernie Banks, marvelling at how “Mr. Cub” made the entire ballpark feel more alive. Once she’d adopted the Cubs as her team, their journey to end the drought completely entrapped her. Her dad still kind of hated it, but she was a Cubs fan through and through now.

Reaching the end of the hallway, she knocked on the grey wood. The echo reverberated through the silence.

Someone from inside the conference room called out, “Come in,” so Veronica twisted the knob and hesitantly entered.

“Hi, Mr. Fluows. You wanted to meet with me?” she asked.

“Yes, Ms. Mars. Have a seat,” he said. 

Like every prior time she’d had the pleasure of speaking to her new boss, the man wore plain black-rimmed reading glasses and a grey suit jacket, the latter matching his beard. His appearance often reminded her of Jeff Bridges, the actor. 

“What can I do for you?” Veronica asked politely. She sat in a chair across the conference room table from Mr. Fluows, straightening the hem of her navy blue business slacks. Her father had always told her to dress to impress, and while she didn’t necessarily care for the idea, she’d decided to wear one of her nicest ensembles for this meeting nonetheless.

“There is a new investor interested in buying into the Cubs. He’s based out of Los Angeles, and we’d like for you to fly out to meet him,” Fluows told her, his expression giving away nothing to tell her the importance of the client. “We want to hire a private investigation firm to perform a background check on Mr. Echolls’ financials. Mr. Ricketts wishes to know everything there is.”

“I can ask around for a firm,” Veronica said. As main owners of the Cubs, the Ricketts family liked to hire local businesses to help them out, as a way to give back to their community.

“That won’t be necessary,” Fluows said instead. “The first time we spoke, you mentioned your father owns such a business.” He paused, pushing his glasses to the rim of his nose so he could meet her eyes. “That is correct, yes?”

Veronica nodded. “He runs Mars Investigations, in our hometown, Neptune. Actually, he wanted me to work for him after he quit his job as sheriff, but I said no.” Veronica didn’t know why she’d divulged that bit of information right then, though she might have mentioned it during her initial interview? Her best friend, Lilly Kane, had wanted them to enjoy their last high school year together; Veronica signing up to chase petty criminals wasn’t in the cards for Lilly’s grand plan. 

“OK,” Fluows said. “That’s perfect. Can you reach out to your father and ask him to help you investigate the prospective investor? The buyer’s name is Logan Echolls. I’m sure you’ve heard of him. He was born in Los Angeles in 1988, the youngest child of Lynn and Aaron Echolls. He’s one of the richest under-30 men in Los Angeles county now.”

_Wow_. Veronica knew of the Echolls family. They ran the tabloids in the mid-2000s, back when the father, Aaron, was arrested for brutally assaulting and murdering his daughter Trina’s abusive boyfriend. In fact, if Veronica remembered correctly, Logan was the one who dialed the authorities out of fear. “Aaron is serving 25 to life, right? Is Mr. Ricketts sure he wants to be tied to this family?” It seemed like a risky proposition to her to bring in someone so mired in controversy.

“That is what the big guy wants you to figure out, Ms. Mars. We want to know if Logan has tendencies similar to his father. However, since he was the one to expose Aaron as a murderer, he has a lot of goodwill with the public,” Mr. Fluows explained. He maintained eye contact, to ensure he drove home his point. “We’d like you to fly to Los Angeles, meet with him, have your dad run a background check, and then report back to us with your findings. If you believe in his character and your father turns up nothing amiss, Mr. Ricketts is comfortable proceeding with a sale of a point one per cent share of the Cubs to Logan Echolls.”

Veronica understood the gist of it. This was a big responsibility for her, exactly the type of thing which excited her. “Will the organization provide transportation to Los Angeles?” she asked, hoping this expense wouldn’t need to come out of her pocket. Even though she’d been living in Chicago for most of her adult life, her financial situation still wasn’t stable enough to randomly drop several hundred dollars on a round trip flight to Los Angeles. She wasn’t used to this sort of thing, being new to the job. And, she’d need accommodations once she got there. If Ricketts was willing, that simplified matters.

“Yes,” he told her. “You fly out tomorrow morning from L.A.X.”

Veronica nodded. “OK.” She got up and walked to the door. “Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Fluows. Can you text me the flight itinerary, please?” He nodded. “Perfect. I hope you have a great rest of the day.”

“You too, Ms. Mars.”

Leaving the stadium, she felt happy about the direction the conversation had taken. Fluows was a fun boss, and she now had a mission she could immerse herself in.

Logan Echolls. _How interesting_.

...

Getting ready for her cab to her apartment, Veronica fiddled with the keys on her phone, contemplating who she wanted to call first. Either Wallace or her dad... She needed to have brief conversations with both, and the order didn’t matter much. Scrolling through her contacts, Veronica pressed ‘Call’ on Wallace first.

“Hey, V,” her roommate answered, and she could hear his infectious smile through the receiver.

“Hey, Wallace,” she said. 

They hadn’t met until she moved to Chicago and posted an ad in the paper for a roommate who kept a clean half of the apartment. Wallace wanted to finally move out of his mother, Alicia’s, house. Mrs. Fennel was a lovely person, who Veronica often wished could replace her own mother, but she also had overbearing tendencies, such as ridiculous curfews. Once he responded to her posting, they’d met for coffee and hit it off. Veronica worried that rooming with a guy might be awkward, especially since from the start she felt only friendship for Wallace, but he treated her like a sister, so it turned into a perfect match. They had found themselves gossiping about their celebrity crushes on more than one occasion, including the day they’d met. By the time their drinks were finished, they had already established a rapport using that bond, and never looked back. 

“What’s up? Long day at work?” Wallace asked. “I thought we’re grabbing deep dish tonight, yeah?”

“About that... I need a rain check. I’m sorry, dude. Work wants me to fly to Los Angeles in the morning to meet a potential investor, so I gotta pack for that. Can you actually do me a favor, Wallace?” Veronica asked.

He sighed on his end. “Yeah. What is it, Supafly?” 

Veronica felt slightly put off by his tone, but knew he was mostly playing it up to guilt her. She didn’t ask for favors from him _that_ often, did she? “Not a biggie this time. I left some laundry in the dryer this morning, and I’m going to need it wrinkle-free when I get home. If you’re there, can you throw the load on ‘touch up’?”

“That’s all? Yeah, I got you, V,” he said.

She heard some rustling on the other end, then he reappeared on the line. “Done.”

“Thanks, Wallace. You’re a lifesaver. I’ll be home in about an hour, and I need to throw all my clothes in a suitcase immediately. I don’t think I’ll be gone more than a few days, but you never know with these L.A. elites.”

“Do you know who the client is?” Wallace asked.

She had to tread carefully here. Wallace was trustworthy, but it wasn’t about that. The Ricketts family trusted her as an employee. “I do, but it’s probably best if I keep it under wraps for now.”

“That means I know him, V. If it was some tech nobody, you’d just say it,” he reasoned, and, damn, that might’ve been true.

“Whatever, Fennel. I gotta go,” Veronica said, sticking out her tongue at the phone even though he couldn’t see it.

Wallace laughed, said, “Sure, V,” and hung up.

She quickly unlocked her phone and found her father’s number next. He picked up on the second try, which she found slightly strange, but didn’t dwell too much on. Keith was busy, and if Mars Investigation was bubbling with business, that was a _good_ thing, not a bad. 

“Hi, honey,” he said, sounding ragged.

“Hey, Dad. How are you? So, I’m flying to L.A. in the morning,” she said, barrelling forward without pause. From her father’s laugh, she figured he wasn’t too surprised with her tact. “I kinda need a ride to a client meeting. Actually, I want to talk to you about that. My bosses want to hire you to check on a client. Do you think you’d have time to take on a minor case?”

“I can. I have some cheating spouse stakeouts, but that’s about it. You know how it is, Veronica,” he said, making Veronica question her initial assumption business was booming.

She did. She remembered times during high school when she and Lilly ate frozen pizza for dinner after her dad had left the force. They could have gone to the Kane mansion, but Veronica insisted on staying at the house to be there for Keith whenever he got back. Those nights were hard on her, but the emotional devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Lianne had wrecked Keith. It made him continuing on as Neptune’s Sheriff impractical, at best. Thankfully, her friends were a godsend at the time. “I do,” she said. “Can you pick me up at LAX tomorrow? My flight lands at 11:30 A.M. local time.”

Keith was probably nodding on the other end, and she figured it took him a moment to realize she couldn’t see that. Then, he said, “OK, honey. I’ll be at the airport,” and Veronica had to smile. Trust her dad to always be there for her. He was truly the greatest father, and she was so fucking lucky to have him.

Beginning the journey back to her apartment with Wallace, Veronica smiled brightly. She had a client meeting - an important one! - with Logan Echolls, a plan, and was actually looking forward to her job. Logan wouldn’t know what hit him once Hurricanes Mars and Mars rolled into town.

...

Sitting behind his mahogany desk, Logan glanced around his square office, eyeing his siblings with trepidation. “They’re seriously sending a fuckin’ lawyer to check me out?” he whined. “Can’t the Ricketts family just do a simple checkup? It’s 2017, for fuck’s sake. Damn. No wonder they needed to hire Theo to win a title.”

Trina laughed at his antics from her dark blue swivel chair; as soon as they started Lester-Stone Publishing Company, his sister’s first order of business was to deck out their office building with the most comfortable seats imaginable. Personally, Logan felt her priorities were out of order, but who was he to argue with her? The additions increased everyone’s level of comfort, which wasn’t a bad thing. 

Logan was extremely proud of their company. The three of them - he, his sister, Trina, and brother Charlie - were all equally responsible for this brain child, even if his and Trina’s legal last name appeared nowhere on the namesake.

“It’s just due diligence,” Charlie said diplomatically, as always. Always the voice of reason, that guy was. He’d lent his last name to the company, and Logan and Trina decided to use Lynn’s maiden name to avoid Echolls-related backlash. Having a murderer for a father, contrary to popular belief, did not entrench you in the hearts of aspiring, up-and-coming writers.

“It’s bullshit,” Trina argued. “They’re biased against _us_ just because of Dad’s crimes.”

It still shocked Logan when Trina spoke up against their father, even after all these years. For a _decade_ , he’d cried to her about the evils of Aaron Echolls, but not until the bastard had bashed Trina’s boyfriend’s skull in with a golf club did she finally believe how horrendous Aaron was. She’d made up for it in spades ever since, but Logan sometimes resented her early life negligence. Nowadays, the three siblings were incredibly close, partners in business and in their charity foundation. They gossipped together, hung out with one another’s friend circles, and Logan lived in a studio apartment in the same neighborhood as Trina, in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.

Charlie lived outside of the city limits with his wife, Hally, and children, which was fine with Logan. He liked his nieces and nephews well enough, but time and space weren’t necessarily a bad thing. He got enough of his sister to fulfil the sibling quota.

“It’s not bullshit, Trina,” Charlie responded, keeping his tone level, any disdain hidden behind a facade of politeness. “I’m listed as the official CEO here, even if Logan handles that role, for all intents and purposes. Nobody knows I’m Aaron Echolls’ bastard child besides you two.” He used cold hard facts to make his point, a sure sign that he was serious. “Logan hasn’t been in the public eye for almost a decade, yet the Ricketts family is setting up a meeting at our company office, so they obviously know you work here. I think they just want to be sure you have good character and can meet the financial obligations necessary to invest in the Cubs, Logan.”

He nodded. That made sense. It wouldn’t do for the organization to tie themselves to him and then for his past to publicly embarrass the Ricketts. “Fine. So, who are they sending?” he asked.

Since she had fielded the initial phone call, Trina flipped through her notes, apparently looking for the name of the lawyer. “Her name is Veronica Mars,” she said.

The name strangely rang a bell somewhere deep in the recesses of Logan’s mind, a faraway memory taunting him. For the life of him, he couldn’t pinpoint where he could’ve heard that name. “Do we know anything about her?”

“She’s the only child of a former police sheriff, who is now a private investigator in the same town you went to college in, Logan,” Charlie said. When Logan looked at him in surprise, he added, “Trina gave me the name. This info came up in a quick Google search. Since her dad held a public office, and she’s a graduate of two prestigious law schools, it popped up.” _That might explain why she sounded familiar, maybe? Also, damn!_

“Two?” She sounded pretty incredible, and he didn’t even know the second thing about her. “Where’d she go to school?”

“Stanford, then Northwestern for her law degree,” Charlie revealed. 

That made sense. A great school in Chicago, then a full-time job in the city. 

Logan knew he only had a few more hours until she was scheduled to arrive at their office. He expected her to come alone, and now wanted security to dress her down for any electronic devices. The daughter of a PI was bound to be sneaky, and her status as a lawyer on top of that scared him a bit. “OK. Thanks, sis. Bro. I’ll deal with Veronica Mars when she gets here. She’s never dealt with the Logan Echolls Experience.”

“Baby bro, you’ve _got_ to get out more,” Trina chided, smiling to soften the blow.

Logan smirked. This Veronica Mars wouldn’t know what hit her.

...

Veronica stepped off the plane onto the tarmac, rolling her black, mesh suitcase behind her by the popped-up handle bar. It had taken her the entire night to stuff several day’s worth of clothes, amenities, hygiene products, and dressy accessories into the bag. The flight itself wasn’t terribly long, but the time zone difference threw her off. She’d left at close to the same local time as she arrived, since she went west two hours.

Time was such a weird, nimble thing. Her meeting with Logan Echolls was scheduled to be after lunch, at 2:00 P.M., which gave her more than two hours to talk to her father about the case. She could pick his brain, Google the details of the Echolls murder case that are public knowledge, and form some preconceived notions. Veronica knew better than to expect everything to be as it appeared from the outside. What she remembered about Aaron Echolls wasn’t good, but she’d never heard Logan’s name dragged through the mud, and the Hollywood paparazzi _loved_ their scandals. Hopefully, it meant her visit would be quick and painless. 

Spotting her father, Veronica let go of the suitcase handle just as Keith’s enveloped her in a warm embrace full of fatherly love and care. Nobody hugged like her dad could.

“Hi, honey,” he whispered into her ear, then pulled away to take in her appearance.

“Hey, pops.” She reached up and kissed his cheek, then grasped the handle bar again, tipping the suitcase to wheel it behind her. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah. I parked in the short-term, one-hour parking garage, so we need to get going. I, uh, might’ve been a bit eager to see you and got to the airport a bit early,” he said sheepishly. “It’s been almost an hour already.”

Veronica rolled her eyes heavenward. Of course. “Let’s go.” 

The walk to the car was short and, to her surprise, mostly inside. Given the enormity of the airport, she’d fully expected to have to brave the late morning chill. Even in southern California, March weather didn’t jive with Veronica. Once they got to Keith’s car, she hopped into the passenger seat, noting a small collection of folders on the center console. The case! She was tempted to check out the information her father had gathered on Logan, but decided to wait. He’d tell her in due time if it was pertinent.

Keith climbed into the driver’s side, turned the key in the ignition to start the motor, then turned to look at her, smiling. “I didn’t find much, yet, honey.”

Was she that obvious? “Well, what can you tell me?” Veronica asked, instead.

“He’s one of three children children of Aaron Echolls, though the third one is not well known in public circles. You know that his father murdered his sister’s boyfriend when he was in high school, right?”

Veronica nodded. “I remembered that, and Fluows also mentioned it.”

“Well, after that, they fell out of the spotlight. Lynn Echolls disappeared, abandoning Logan and his sister, Trina. I’m not quite sure why,” Keith said, frowning. That hit Veronica right where it really fucking hurt. “Lynn sends the kids money. Logan and Trina work together with their brother, Charlie Stone, at Lester-Stone Publishing. Lester is their mother’s maiden name.”

“That’s a lot of good information, Dad. Especially on such short notice,” Veronica told him, grinning. She’d expected as much from her father, but it was still pleasing to see. “How is Charlie unknown? Google told me about Trina, but he’s not even on the internet radar.”

Keith gave her a nod. “Right. He’s not. The Echolls’ lawyer paid Charlie’s mother child support on Aaron’s behalf for the kid’s entire childhood. I have no idea how Logan and Trina found out, but they appear to have built a solid relationship with their brother. All three are part-owners of the company, though Logan and Trina’s involvement is well-hidden”

“What do you think of all this, Dad?” Veronica asked. “I trust your judgment.”

“I’m honestly not sure, Veronica,” Keith told her, glancing out the window so she couldn’t fully see his facial expression. “He seems on the up and up, and the company certainly appears to be legitimate. Their charity foundation - L.A.V.A., which stands for Litigating Abuse Victims and Adoptions - supports victims of child abuse, specifically, and is a worthy cause. I’m impressed by it.”

Keith grew silent at that, leaving Veronica to her thoughts. Logan was turning into an enigma. Son of a violent murder and an absent mother? Check. But, also, a college graduate, a high-up executive in a company that published books, and the part-owner of a worthwhile charity. Color her confused.

She was Veronica Mars, though. She would solve this puzzle like she did so many others. If it was the last thing she did, Veronica would learn everything she could about Logan Echolls.

...

Veronica knocked on the door to the conference room, her father right on her heels. She’d had to sell an arm and a leg to get Keith into the building. For some reason, the security guards had been instructed to be strict with her, and weren’t aware of any visitors scheduled to arrive with her. Veronica’s opinion of Logan Echolls and this company lowered before she’d even had the opportunity to meet him. Go figure.

“Come in,” a voice from inside intoned, reminding her of the scene just a day ago outside Mr. Fluows’ office.

She opened the door, uncaring of her first impression. Veronica wanted to be the aggressor here. If she kept Logan on his heels, he wouldn’t have the chance to bullshit her, and that was preferable to a situation where he got the drop on her. “Hello,” she said, walking right up to the first of the three people in the room. “I’m Veronica. It’s nice to meet you,” she said.

“Charlie,” the guy said carefully, accepting her offered handshake.

She greeted who she assumed was Trina Echolls next, saving the man of the hour for last. After the well-dressed redhead gave her a smile and a nod, she turned to Logan

And, _damn_. He wasn’t what she expected. For one, he was leaning back in an unfairly sexy manner, almost like there was an invisible wall holding his back up. His face was much more mature than the last public shot she’d been able to find. The boyish, rugged, handsome look had been replaced by an older, still pretty face. Everything seemed sharper, helped by a hint of facial hair that only made him come off sexier. And, fuck, the grey blazer really filled out his broad shoulders. The younger version she’d seen in tabloid pictures had a ‘bad boy’ feel to him, but this wasn’t strictly the troubled son of a murderer. This was an adult who’d grown very sure of himself and his place in the world. And it was hotter than she’d prepared for.

Looking away, Veronica accidentally caught Trina’s critical, unamused eye. She assumed the glare she was currently on the receiving end of was the redhead’s way of lighting her on fire with one look - a “Stop ogling my baby brother” if she’d ever seen one. She hadn’t _meant_ to do that!

Veronica couldn’t help but meet Logan’s own amused eyes. _He has a nice smile_. Overall, he seemed confident, but she’d expected full-on arrogance and brazenness given the treatment from the security downstairs and the extravagance on display throughout the office. He was none of those things, and he had her full attention, despite her better judgment. For Veronica, that was a rare feat for a guy to pull off at all, much less the very first time they met her.

She heard Keith cough in the background and tore her eyes from Logan’s to meet her dad’s curious stare. “Oh! I’m so sorry,” she said, turning back to the trio. “This is my father, Keith Mars. He’s here on my behalf, in order to help me gather information,” Veronica explained to them.

“Nice to meet you all,” Keith said. He pointed to a chair close to the door, blue like the rest of the conference room’s seats. “May we sit?”

Logan took charge, nodding. Charlie and Trina seemed to naturally defer to their brother, which Veronica found interesting since she was pretty sure Logan was actually the youngest of the three. Maybe the years since Aaron’s arrest had changed that dynamic? Was Logan in charge of the business, and his siblings only along for the ride? Those questions buzzed inside Veronica’s brain as she sat down and pulled out her folder. She began jotting down stray observations from the first few minutes of the meeting.

Once she finished, Veronica decided it was officially time to start the business meeting portion of the afternoon. “OK. Let’s get started, then.”

...

Logan couldn’t fucking believe how gone he already was. It was completely ridiculous. Veronica Mars had stormed into his office like a gorgeous hurricane and simply blew apart his sense of equilibrium. She was ferocious, beautiful, smart, confident... He was pretty much smitten at first glance, and both of his siblings could tell. He could already tell she would go toe to toe with him and come out on top, a rare feat for anyone. The combination of it all enticed Logan.

When she’d opened the door and taken charge of the entire situation, greeting Charlie politely, he found his eyes involuntarily glued to the curve of her pretty ass. He’d glanced away briefly, met her father’s disapproving glare, and settled on observing the expressions flitting across her face, which was no hardship. 

Her wide eyes were watching his every move now, so he’d smiled, hoping to exude an air of responsibility and maturity. It seemed to work, since Veronica bit her lip and flushed.

Then, their meeting had begun, and Logan found himself incapable of forming real, complete sentences. So what if the Cubs were concerned by his association with the infamous Aaron Echolls? Why did it matter? None of it meant anything in the grand scheme of things, right? His insides twisted. How was he this fucking nervous? He’d only just met the girl. Ugh.

Trina appeared to be concerned by his lack of reaction, nudging him under the table. “Pay attention,” she hissed.

“Hmm?” he asked, trying to focus in on the conversation.

“Veronica was asking you why you want to work in publishing,” Trina added, guiding him along like a toddler. 

“That’s an easy one,” Logan said, falling into the comfortable and familiar. “Too often, when I was in college, I saw incredibly talented authors ignored by their bigoted professors, discriminated against.”

Both Marses nodded that they understood.

Logan continued. “These people favored the straight, white voice. I know I’m not exactly a great spokesperson for oppression,” he admitted, “but I wanted to help out unheralded and hidden writing minds. If I gave them a chance, maybe they could find a niche or reach a larger audience, right? There are way too few writers from less fortunate upbringings out there, you know?” 

Two particular examples always resonated in Logan’s mind from his days in a Hearst introductory creative writing class - a wonderful story written by a local student named Peter, who was gay, and a poem a minority student named Felix penned about his childhood. After seeing how callously their professor dismissed the pair’s words, Logan had called Trina to vent about it, and the siblings immediately began to brainstorm ways to turn their father’s dirty money into actually doing something good in their community.

“That’s a pretty good reason,” Keith commented, sharing an unreadable look with Veronica. 

“I majored in Lit,” Logan continued, undeterred by their curiosity. “So after graduation, Trina and I met with Charlie here - he’s got a better background for this type of thing - and we jump-started the company.” The first few months were rough, but Trina began expanding their reach and eventually they had enough clients to improve the company’s standing.

“Trina has contacts all over and searches lesser known circles of the internet for writers who aren’t getting published author gigs. She checks out fanfiction sites, blogs, and websites and productions geared specifically toward oppressed communities.” Logan was incredibly proud of his sister for her initiative and growth, especially the way she brought in open-minded people for her team. He’d suggested the fanfiction angle, but she didn’t shoot it down, and that was something he would’ve never seen her doing a decade ago.

Logan himself had written some wild fiction in his youth, an escape from the harsh reality of being a celebrity’s child - and, specifically, Aaron Echolls’ son - and he knew there were oftentimes author gems hiding in plain sight. If he and Trina could spend their days digging through the haystack, they could uncover a significant amount of the needles; so they did.

He was damned happy with their progress, and from the looks on the Mars family faces, so were they.

Meeting Veronica’s eyes, Logan smiled, it transforming into another grin when she seemed to blush. “We want to keep helping people with the company. So far, so good on that front.” Logan closed his eyes, letting a deep sigh escape. Over time, well-known publishers began approaching them, looking to buy into their company, but Logan resisted their overtures. He didn’t want to monetize their company in the fashion the major publishers would, which Trina and Charlie agreed on.

“I repeat: I’m impressed, Logan,” Keith said.

“Thanks, Mr. Mars,” he said politely. Then, he turned to Veronica. “What other questions do you have?”

...

She hadn’t expected this. Veronica thought she’d find something that would openly contrast his charming outward appearance. Maybe that he was greedy, or that he skirted taxes, or _anything_ to show her he wasn’t this righteous idiot.

Instead... Veronica had to admit the endeavors he discussed sounded noble on the surface, and their desire to think outside the box thoroughly impressed her. She could see why their publishing company had become so successful. Aggregating different perspectives was a surefire way to expand their audience and keep readers coming back. “So, Trina finds talent, Charlie...?” she trailed off, looking at said man expectantly.

“I run our editing team,” Charlie said. “We make sure the pieces are clean of errors and collaborate with our writers to foster an upbeat atmosphere for them to grow and improve. My background is in teaching, so I wanted to bring encouragement tactics to the table, and both Logan and Trina were on board with that.”

“And to answer the next question, which I’m sure is on the tip of your tongue, Ms. Mars,” Logan taunted her, smirking proudly at his quick wit, “I run the financial side of things, and take on the duties of CEO, though Charlie has the actual title.”

“Right, you don’t actually want Logan Echolls listed on the company website or anywhere the public can see information. Using Lester in the name is a clever way to avoid that,” Veronica noted. She briefly considered that maybe Logan and his colleagues shouldn’t be telling a lawyer about this, but decided not to dwell on the impropriety for the moment.

Logan smiled warmly at her. “Got it in one,” he told her, leaning back into his chair. The action reminded her of the way he’d been leaning when she first walked in, and caused her mind to flash back to how his body looked in those jeans. Then he ran his tongue in a quick circle across his lower lip, and Veronica quickly looked away. Fuck, this was totally _not_ how her meeting with him was supposed to go. She would _not_ be distracted by Logan Echolls.

Veronica had a meticulous plan; she was going to interrogate Logan, keep the focus on his life, his company, and his past. Fluows wanted to know every superfluous detail in the book, and she wouldn’t be Veronica Mars if she couldn’t deliver on a simple information gathering meeting.

Logan, Trina, and Charlie were prepared, though. Or, maybe she was just flustered? Either might be true. Looking at her dad, Veronica realized she _did_ know things about Logan, now. She could vouch that Logan Echolls had at least a decent heart. He wanted to help give people opportunities to be treated equally, which was something she couldn’t say the same of for many. Together with his siblings, they had created an honest company, at least on the surface.

Her father’s initial background check hadn’t turned up anything seedy, either. She couldn’t let go of the small feeling swirling in the pit of her stomach, screaming at her that there was even more than meets the eye to Logan, though. When she stood up to leave, Veronica shook each of the Echolls-Stone children’s hands, pausing briefly at Logan.

“I don’t have enough information yet to report back to my bosses,” she told him, wincing. “And I believe there is more to you than I see right now, Mr. Echolls,” she said, only to be cut off swiftly.

“Please don’t call me that, Ms. Mars. Our father went by that, not me,” he said.

Veronica laughed, but nodded. “Point is, Logan... I still need to learn more about you.” She smiled warmly. “Gotta see if that confidence is warranted, you know?” Was that flirting? Fuck, it sounded like she was flirting even to her ears. Hopefully, Logan would ignore it.

“Let’s have dinner, then?” Logan asked with a smirk, decidedly not ignoring her tone. He tapped his finger against his chin, then added, “You could get to know me all you want while we eat. Find out exactly how warranted all my confidence is.”

Veronica’s mind involuntarily ran over all the ways she’d like _him_ to dine on her, a shiver shooting up her spine. This was bad. So very bad. Before she could stop, Veronica found herself saying, “I bet that’s what you say to every girl who wants to grill you for information. Does that actually work?”

“Only the tiny blonde ones. And sometimes,” Logan responded, smiling.

The sound of a cough from next to them broke the moment. Veronica glanced briefly at her father, her eyes meeting his disapproving stare. “Fine,” she agreed with a sigh. “Pick me up at seven, sharp. I’m staying at the Ritz Carlton in downtown L.A. Just call the front desk and have them ring my room.” The Ricketts family’s dime went a long way toward providing her with elite accommodations, but she wasn’t going to complain, especially not on such short notice...

“What? I don’t get your number?” Logan tried when she was nearly out the door, turning on the charm with a smoldering look behind those friendly eyes. 

She rolled her own. “No. This isn’t a date, Mr. Echolls.” 

Logan glowered at her use of his last name for a second time in such a short period of time, then nodded harshly. 

“Just pick me up,” Veronica said.

“Fine,” he snapped, the friendliness in his eyes gone. “I’ll be there, and you can find out what you need to report back to your bosses whether I’m adequate enough for their little Cubs Club.” Logan spun, leaving her facing his back.

Veronica felt the sting of a dismissal when Logan got up, beckoned for Charlie and Trina to follow him to the door, and turned to her with a far less pleasant expression on his face. 

“Is there anything else, Ms. Mars?” he asked, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Damn, they were on a last name basis now, and not in the fun way. She’d messed up, though she wasn’t sure exactly when; the thought bothered her more than she cared to admit. “No. That’s all, I think.”

For the entire walk back to her father’s car, she ran over the end of the conversation in her mind.

_Why did I even do that?_ she thought.

_Because he got under your skin_ , her mind whispered back.

Damn Logan Echolls to hell.

...

Logan parked his BMW in front of the pay meter closest to Veronica’s hotel doors, using his speaker phone commands to dial the front desk. They quickly connected him to her room, then after a quick conversation, Logan waited in the car for her to come down.

Able to collect his thoughts, Logan considered how that meeting had ended so disastrously He’d probably overreacted to her calling him Mr. Echolls a second time, but after he’d explicitly asked her not to, it felt like a giant fucking slap in the face. Though, she had no way to know how personal it felt to him, either. _Ugh_. Logan stared out the window, watching the Los Angeles crowds speed by; evidently, nobody found a dark blue beamer outside a streetside hotel out of the ordinary. 

He only waited for a few minutes when Veronica knocked on the passenger side window with a bright smile on her face. Spinning to face her, Logan’s jaw fell slightly at the sight of her, his lips parting in surprise. She looked absolutely fucking divine, her black, sleeveless dress showing ample skin. She’d dolled herself up, a light blush brightening her face. 

Unlocking the door with his left hand, Logan reached across the seat to pop open the handle, trying for politeness. Her grin told him he’d succeeded, and Logan relaxed.

Now that he could see her fully, Logan was most enamored with how the thin material of her outfit clung to her sides, leaving _very_ little to his imagination. His thoughts strayed back to the image of her ass in her business casual attire earlier in the day, and then Mr. Mars’ deep glare, sobering him real fast. The dress extended to just below her knees, showcasing her toned legs and high heels.

_Ugh, say something, you moron!_

“Hey, Veronica,” he tried, hoping the enthusiasm he put behind his smile came across the way he intended. He was excited to spend more time with her, even if their first meeting ended poorly and, to her, it was only a job. 

For him, it was an opportunity to woo her, to learn more about who Veronica Mars was. He wanted to see whether the wonderful, weird feeling he got around her was grounded in logic or emotion. Logan assumed it was the latter, but hoped for the former.

“Hey, yourself.” Veronica strapped herself in, waiting for the click of the seat belt before turning to face him square on. “Where are we going? And it’d better not be an expensive restaurant. I don’t like that type of place, Logan.”

“Eh, it’s not that fancy of a place. I was thinking steak, but tacos and burritos seem more fun,” Logan told her. Morton’s steakhouse would have been his first choice, but Trina told him to not be an idiot and just handle the situation in a professional manner, at a neutral restaurant. He’d listened to his older sister, for once in his life. She generally knew more about professional etiquette.

“Glad you didn’t go for the steak. That would’ve been so cliche. Rich guy on a not-a-date trying to butter me up with filet mignon,” Veronica said, her grin letting him know she was teasing.

Logan held back a smile, looking straight ahead. “That sounded awfully close to calling it a date. Besides, I wouldn’t go with steak if I wanted to do that.” She cracked a smile when he glanced over, but he still felt nervous. “Tacos and burritos are OK?”

“Yes, they’re fine,” Veronica said. A few moments of silence passed before she spoke again. “What’s your favorite food, Logan?”

Logan gave her the side-eyed smile. “That doesn’t seem relevant to whether I’m fit to own part of the Cubs, Veronica. Dare I say you’re being friendly?” When she huffed, he laughed it off, then continued. “It’s not a bad thing.”

“Ugh. You’re so full of yourself,” Veronica lamented. “Nevermind. It’s not relevant. I’m a curious person, and wanted to make conversation,” she said. “But, forget it.”

_Fuck_. “Sorry. I was just teasing. It’s a good question. I really like buffalo wings,” he said. “They’re hot and spicy, exactly how I like life to be. And I hate shellfish - seafood in general, really - because I prefer to be breathing.” He’d added that last little detail as a test of how much she paid attention. There was nothing hotter in the world to Logan than someone remembering his allergy after he’d told them just one time. The moment Charlie and Trina became siblings he’d take a bullet for was when they’d asked a chef if there was cross-contamination with how the seafood and meat were cooked.

“Allergies, huh? That stinks,” Veronica said, and he could hear the apology clear as day in her tone. She frowned, and he almost felt bad for being the cause of that expression on her pretty face.

He decided to volley the question back at her as a distraction. “What’s your favorite? Do you have one?”

She laughed, and, God, the sound was music to his fucking ears. “S’mores, actually. My dad and best friends always teased me that I was like a marshmallow on the inside, so when I tried a dessert that was made with them, I fell hard for it.”

“I can see it,” he said. “Tough on the outside, gooey on the inside.” When Veronica blushed, he laughed internally at how adorable she was. “Sorry,” he said, smirking.

For the rest of the drive, Logan focused on the road, doing his damnedest to ignore the cute face Veronica made as she chewed on her lip in thought, or the crinkle in the air when she fidgeted with her dress, bunching it up to reveal slightly more skin for his eyes to enjoy.

The restaurant was only fifteen minutes from her hotel, so all too soon they were there. Out of an abundance of caution, he’d chosen something closer to her than him, just in the event she wanted to end the evening early. Her cab back wouldn’t be expensive from here.

Logan valeted his baby, a bit nervous that the driver would scratch the new, fresh paint job. Once inside the restaurant, a server showed them to their table. To ease Veronica’s mind that this was a professional dinner, he called ahead to reserve a table in the middle, surrounded by others.

“Here you are, sir,” the waiter offered kindly, placing two menus on their circular wooden table. 

Logan pulled out Veronica’s chair for her, then walked around to his own. Glancing at the menu, he knew immediately what he wanted. Because of his allergy, he’d needed to find a Mexican-style restaurant that didn’t serve seafood. The steak tacos entree, with everything on it, was right up his alley. Satisfied, Logan put the plastic menu down and focused on Veronica.

He noticed the way her eyes roamed each word on the page, absorbing the details. She came across as a lawyer on the prowl for evidence, and it amused him, making him intrigued by the possibility of learning more about her. She kept one elbow on the table, her chin in her hand as she read. 

At one point, Logan noticed her bite the edge of her lip, flipping the page to look at the appetizers. He reached across the table and pointed to his two top choices that they could split, guacamole and nachos. “Wanna get these to share for the table?”

“I’m not much of a sharer. My friends tell me I’m like a wild animal when it comes to food,” she said. “We can do it, but at your own risk.”

Logan merely laughed. “Not gonna lie, I like the idea of you as a bobcat, Veronica. I’ll take my chances, though.” He paused. “I’ve heard the steak tacos are delicious as an entree,” he suggested. “Trina comes here a lot with her girlfriends. They cook the meat to perfection, apparently.”

“Instead of an actual steakhouse, you went for steak tacos. Should’ve known you’d hoodwink me somehow, dude,” she complained, clicking her tongue and snapping her fingers. “I like burritos more than tacos. Something about that delicious combo of rice, guacamole, sour cream, and sauce, you know? It’s heavenly. So I’ll pass on the taco, but thanks, Echolls,” she said, putting down her menu. Then she must have realized what she’d said, because she glanced right back at him. “Sorry, I guess that was reflexive. I like calling people by their last name.”

He laughed. “You got it, Mars. Just don’t add the title in front, and we’ll be all right.” Logan watched as she smiled, the comfort between them back. Veronica caught his eye, but stayed silent as they waited for their server to return. When he did, they quickly placed their orders. “What else did you want to know about me?”

She frowned. “Well, I barely know anything about you, really. Besides the fact you, Trina, and Charlie run the publishing company. And that you’re the son of two movie stars. I don’t know much about the years in between your father’s arrest and now. Just the basics. I bet you played a sport. Soccer, right? You look like you’re in good enough shape for that.”

Logan looked away briefly, caught up in the daydream of her dressed from head to toe in a soccer uniform. He wished he’d known her when they were younger, so he could’ve seen that. Then, he collected himself. “Nah,” he said. “I did surf, though.” He noticed her eyes dart across his chest and laughed. The rest of her question permeated his brain, causing him to ponder how much he wanted to share. The Ricketts really wanted to throw the book at him, it seemed. 

Or Veronica had taken it upon herself to do that. 

“OK,” he started. “I’ll share a bit more. After Dad was convicted, Mom left us.” It fucking stung when Lynn abandoned them. She’d been there one day, then missing from his life forever within a week. “She couldn’t deal, and it didn’t matter that she had two children who needed her. No, don’t look at me like that,” he said, stopping her sympathetic frown in its tracks. 

“Logan,” Veronica started, but he cut her off.

“I’ve gotten that look from almost everybody I’ve ever told this to, including my college friends. I don’t want it, especially not from you when we are having a good conversation. This should be a fun dinner, not a pity party.” He’d dedicated enough headspace to Lynn Echolls in the last decade, and was determined to not let her control his life any more than she already did. “Mom used drugs. She drank. Aaron was fucking horrible to her, but once he was out of her life, she could have tried to get help instead of leaving us. I used to miss her a ton, but living on our own...” he trailed off. It changed everything.

Reaching across the table, Veronica moved to grab his hand, then thought better of it. “I don’t know how you managed that.”

Logan shook his head. Sometimes he thought it was all a dream, then he would go into the office, see his siblings, and know they were better off. “Trina was old enough to petition for guardianship at the time, since she’d already turned 24. That helped us grow closer as brother and sister.” It had been extraordinarily difficult to live with only his adult sister during his teenage years, but Trina stepped up to the plate big time, and they had become so close that they helped support one another. “After Social services came knocking, Trina did her best to be a responsible older sister, holding down odd jobs to prove we had a stable enough environment. Because of the circumstances, I lived on my own with her, and I’ve never regretted that decision.”

Veronica smiled sadly. “I’m glad you had such a great sister.”

“She wasn’t always that way, but Trin got better with age. Like fine wine but in human female form, you know?” That earned a chuckle from her. “Anyway, after I turned 18, I started getting more money from the trust fund my parents had set up for me. We, Trina and I, that is, owned Aaron’s assets, or at least the ones the government hadn’t frozen. That stuff is tricky,” Logan explained, then mentally smacked himself right as she began to speak.

“I _am_ a lawyer, buddy. I understand how legal proceedings work. There’s fine print all over the place,” Veronica said. She was smiling, though, which Logan took as a good sign. “What happened after that?”

“I went to Hearst College for my undergraduate degree. After Dad’s arrest, Trina completed her degree - she majored in acting at a prestigious Los Angeles acting school. I wanted to leave town, and she had some friends of hers through the family who’d lived in Neptune for a while. They recommended Hearst,” Logan said. Moving away from the only family he had left had been tough, but Trina insisted he should have a normal college experience. “I made some good friends there, but more importantly, I found passions for my life.”

Veronica chuckled. “What a small world. I grew up in Neptune, before I left for college.”

_Huh_ . Trina’s research had been good, but left that part out. “I knew your dad worked there now. Didn’t realize you’d grown up there, though. Some of my friends were from the local high schools. One of my closest friends from there is our age. She made my layout of the website for the company, actually, and my buddy Dick called her Ghost World ever since.” _Yeah, it doesn’t make sense to me, either_ he thought when she frowned.

Then she shook away her confusion. “My best friend is really smart with computers, too,” Veronica said. “She used to try to teach me how to code near the end of high school, but I’m more Action Girl than Tech Girl.”

“I can see that. You seem like a fighter,” Logan admitted, smiling at her.

Veronica smirked. “As opposed to a lover?”

Logan coughed, taken aback by her innuendo. Was that intentional? He had, of course, noticed the sexual chemistry between them, but this was the most outwardly she’d flirted.

Their food chose that moment to arrive, saving him from the need to respond. The waiter placed both of their courses in the middle of the table. 

Once they were alone, Logan finally responded. “Didn’t mean it like that, but now that you went there...” he trailed off while bobbing his eyebrows, leaving her sputtering. When it looked like she was going to protest, he added, “I kid, I kid.”

“Skipping right past that, Echolls... Where were we?” Veronica asked, fighting a blush after the sexually-charged direction she’d taken their conversation.

_Ah, yes. She’s a topic changer. Go along with it, man,_ he thought. “After college, I moved back to L.A. and talked to Trina about starting the company. While at Hearst, I’d met Charlie, and asked if he wanted in on the startup. He accepted, and the rest is history, as they say.”

She gave him a wry grin. “That’s a very Cliffs Notes version of the story, Logan. C’mon, can’t you give a girl some juicy details?”

“Nice try, but I don’t put out on the first date, Veronica,” he teased her.

Her jaw dropped slightly open. “This is _not_ a date, Logan.”

He grinned, but let it go, thinking back to what she’d said before the banter. That he’d given a short version was true enough. The rest of the time after the trial bored him, though. “What type of stuff do you want to know? I dated a girl named Parker, and she was a _fun_ distraction.” He licked his lips to accentuate exactly what he meant.

“Don’t be gross, Logan,” she countered.

“Fine. Be a spoilsport.” He’d enjoyed dating Parker, and Mac’s friendship... Before that, Hannah was a good girlfriend. Ultimately, though, his life boiled down to four things: his siblings, his closest couple of friends, his company, and his charity. Nothing else gave him a sense of fulfillment, of purpose, besides those. “There’s not a lot there, honestly, Veronica. I found something I felt passionately about, then I went for it.”

He could tell Veronica didn’t fully buy his story, but she seemed to accept it well enough. Logan dipped a chip in the guac, then decided to flip the tables right before biting in. “Tell me about yourself, Veronica. Then I’ll tell you more. Who _is_ Veronica Mars?”

She sputtered out a: “Not why we’re here,” but Logan shook his head, his curiosity not to be denied. “Ugh. You’re annoying. Has anyone ever told you that?” He gave her a deadpan look, so she continued. “I’m a lawyer, and I’m here to report back to the Ricketts. You know all this already.”

“Cop-out, Veronica. That doesn’t answer who you _are_. You gave me a bullshit response to an unasked “Why are you here?” instead,” Logan argued, holding up a finger to ward off her retort. “Try again, Mars.”

“Wait, how is that fair? You answer half my questions, but I can’t do the same?” Veronica challenged, raising an eyebrow.

How the fucking hell did this woman make everything she did sexy? Logan didn’t get it. It defied logic that he could be this attracted to her after just a few hours. She bantered with him like only the best could, giving as good as she got. She was curious, yet treated him relatively normal for what his last name was. Defiant, yet kind. Her particular combination of personality traits baffled him, and excited him. Veronica Mars was turning out to be more than he’d bargained for, and he wanted so much more.

“Fine,” he agreed. “I’ll show you mine, and you can show me yours. Deal.” When she turned away, slightly embarrassed by his innuendo - _At least time it was intentional!_ he thought - Logan grinned and barrelled forward. “You didn’t answer my question, though, Mars. Tell me about yourself. Do that, and I promise I’ll give you more of the details you’re after.”

“Fine,” she said begrudgingly. “What do you want to know?”

Logan tapped his pointed to his lips. “Hmm... Well, your father was the sheriff, right? Oh, don’t look at me like that,” he said when she appeared surprised. “We looked into you once we got the meeting info. What was that like, though? I can’t imagine having a law enforcement officer for a parent.”

“It was different, that’s for sure. My best friend Lilly got into a ton of trouble as a teenager, and she dragged me into her hairbrained schemes. Dad was always upset that I went along with them,” Veronica revealed, the memories clearly fond for her. Her expression grew soft, the tension in her face dissipating. Logan wondered where this Lilly person was now. “After Mom left... Let’s just say I know how you feel having a parent abandon you, and leave it at that, yeah? This is still a professional meeting.”

“It is,” Logan said, “but opening up to a stranger can be therapeutic, or so I’ve heard,” he tried. “It probably helps even more that both of us know the pain of a mother not loving us enough to stay.” Even as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Logan hated the way his own mother acted after Aaron’s arrest, but not every parent left of their own volition. Many battled demons and addictions, choosing to leave in order to better themselves, or for the wellbeing of their child. Lynn’s decision hurt Logan and Trina, but he didn’t need to lay his own emotional scars at Veronica’s feet.

As he expected, Veronica looked away. “Wow, you don’t pull punches. Lianne wasn’t much of a mom toward the end, and I regret leaning on her so much when it was obvious she had issues with drinking, you know?” Veronica shook her head to seemingly chase away the memories, and when she met his eyes again, they were determined. “That’s all you’re getting for now, Echolls. It’s your turn to give me more information so this entire evening isn’t a gigantic waste of my time.” She gave a small smile to show she was teasing. “Why do you want to invest in the Cubs?”

Logan smirked. “Honestly?” She nodded. “To spite Aaron. I wanted to get into baseball as a kid, play little league, the whole nine yards, and he wouldn’t let me. He forced me to try out for football, then reasoned it ‘made me a man.’” Logan shook his head. “My dad was a douchebag. Always was, and always will be. Since the Cubs just won the World Series, it seems like a sound investment, and it’ll have him rolling over in his prison cell if he hears.”

She shook her head. “I should be surprised about this, but I’ve known you for a half a day and it feels very much like something you’d do.” Veronica grinned at him, softening the comment. “Is that the only reason?”

“Nah. It started as that, but Trina, Charlie, and I looked into the Cubs after that. The organization makes a ton of money, and investing some of our savings in a reliable source of profit would help us grow our business and charity. If we had even more funds backing the charity, we could hire people to help us expand to other parts of the state or even the country.” Logan had been thinking of that a lot lately. They were confined to California for now, but opening locations in Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, and even other states was something he wanted to consider. “It just seems like a smart choice.”

Veronica laughed. “It is a smart choice. All right, Logan. So far, I believe you are genuine and will tell my bosses that. Let’s meet one more time for lunch tomorrow, then I’ll head back and report to them.

Their waiter returned with their main courses, so Logan dug in, enjoying the vision of Veronica eating her burrito. She wanted to meet with him again! He knew it was only for the job, but he couldn’t help the sliver of hope in his mind that maybe she was attracted to him too, that maybe she wanted to spend more time with him.

As they left the restaurant a little while later, the bill fully paid for by Logan - alone, on his insistence - he opened his arms hesitantly for a hug, testing the waters. Veronica shook her head, instead holding out a hand, which Logan shook, smiling. It was a start. He liked her, and she’d relaxed considerably as their days progressed. He had hope.

...

Veronica slid the key card into the door to her hotel room, pushing when the light turned green. Walking inside, she found her father sitting in the chair by the window, reading a book. “Hey, Dad,” she said, placing her pocketbook on the counter.

“How’d it go?” Keith asked, putting the book face down in his lap.

“He’s definitely nicer than I thought he’d be. It was... Actually, it was pleasant. I think he’ll be a good investor for the Cubs,” Veronica said. “I’m going to report that to my bosses in the morning, then meet with him one more time before I head back, just in case I’ve missed anything.”

“Veronica,” Keith said, a warning edge to his voice. 

It sounded _just_ like when he used to scold her for partying with Lilly, but she wasn’t a child now. “Don’t start, Dad,” she said.

“I just hope you know what you’re doing here, honey,” he said.

Veronica walked toward the bathroom, pulling pajama pants out of her suitcase as she went. While changing into the fluffy flannel pants, she checked out her appearance in the mirror. The evening had flown by, and she honestly didn’t know what to think of Logan Echolls now. 

He was the best kind of enigma to her, and she kind of liked him. He was handsome, in a cute, misunderstood former bad boy way, and she was also pretty sure there was more to the story of his relationship with his father, the backstory to the company, and his charity. 

Veronica was intrigued. He’d captured her attention, met her snark head on, challenged her, kept her on her toes, and gave her interesting answers to her questions. Patting her cheeks, she left the bathroom, only to find her father staring out the window. Veronica sat down next to him in the second chair, silently observing him. “What’s up, now?”

“Just thinking of that family, again.”

“The Echolls’?” she asked.

“Yeah. Logan strikes me as familiar, and I can’t figure out why,” he said. “I know he’s a celebrity, but it’s more than that.”

“He did tell me he went to Hearst, but I assume that came up in your background check and you didn’t find it important enough to mention,” Veronica said, her eyes accusing.

Her father had the decency to look chagrined. “Sorry about that. I really didn’t think it was relevant. Maybe you’re right. I could’ve seen him around town when he was going to Hearst.”

Veronica reached across and squeezed her father’s hand. “I know you’re worried that I’m turning this into something personal, but I really am just meeting Logan for the job. He’s nice, and my bosses need to know more about him.”

“Just be careful, Veronica,” Keith said, his eyes belying his worry.

It meant a lot to her that her father showed so consistently that he cared about her. Veronica hugged him impulsively, then told him, “Let’s hit the hay, pops. Then we can grab some breakfast tomorrow before I meet Logan.”

Veronica climbed into her bed, drifting off quickly into a deep slumber, her dreams filled with more questions than answers.

...

Veronica got ready for her lunch with Logan, the anxiety ratcheting up the longer she took. Her dad kept staring at her in disapproval whenever she spent that extra minute scrutinizing her choice of outfit. She didn’t give a fuck. He didn’t understand why she cared so much - or, he thought he did, but that wasn’t really it.

This was her final chance to make a good impression on Logan, who could very well be a major part of her professional life in the very near future. He was her age, but he felt more like a colleague, and she’d do well to remember that he wasn’t one.

“Don’t start again,” she told her father when he looked like he was going to speak up. 

The entire time they’d shoveled down their breakfast, her dad kept glancing her way worriedly. They had chatted about Logan’s life and some of the finer details she hadn’t gotten from him yet. He had details about the girl Logan frequently got into trouble with during his high school days. She hadn’t realized how interested she was in that information until after her dad shook his head mid-bite of bacon. 

“I won’t say anything else, Veronica,” Keith said. He paused. “You look beautiful, honey. What time is your flight?”

Veronica played with the edges of her light blue dress shirt. “Six P.M., and then I arrive in Chicago around midnight.” The hotel phone began ringing, and she reached for it. “Hello.”

“Hey! I’m outside,” Logan said in greeting. She’d given the hotel permission to patch him through directly to her hotel room after breakfast, to expedite the process. “Are you ready?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’ll be right down,” Veronica answered. She waved goodbye to her dad, kissed him on the cheek, then started the journey for the elevator. Her nerves began acting up halfway through the trip down, and she took a deep breath. Thoughts of Logan invited warm and fuzzy feelings inside her, and it was fucking bonkers. She’d rarely felt like this recently - her life in Chicago was a good one, and her friendship with Wallace added comfort she hadn’t realized were missing.

It _was_ just a job, but Veronica was looking forward to one final afternoon hanging out with Logan, grilling him for information, and learning about the man behind the legacy. As she left the hotel, his gorgeous blue BMW blended in seamlessly, and she chuckled to herself as she approached him.

Just like the day before, she knocked on his window, grinning when he unlocked the car. “Afternoon, Logan,” she said, leaning in. “Do you want to just go to the diner down the road, and leave the car here?” Veronica offered. It would be convenient for both of them, as long as he didn’t mind paying the city parking meter fees. Afterward, she wouldn’t have to worry about traffic preventing her from getting to the airport. 

“Sure,” Logan said, rotating the key to turn the car off. He gathered his belongings, then opened his car door. “Where is it?” he asked, glancing around.

“Around the corner,” Veronica said.

They walked to the diner in silence, Veronica’s mind occupied with thoughts about whether she would learn anything meaningful. Similar to the night before, the pair sat at a table in the middle of the restaurant. Their waiter had asked if they wanted a booth, but Veronica chose to go for something less secluded, since this absolutely wasn’t a date. She already knew what she wanted, having quickly scanned the selection beforehand from her phone.

“What do you want to know about me today, V?” Logan asked, placing his napkin over his lap. He scanned his menu quickly, then placed it on the table.

She considered commenting on his casual usage on this new nickname - only her close friends got away with shortening her name to just a single letter - but dismissed it. It felt natural rolling off his tongue. “How about your charity? Tell me about all the ways the great Logan Echolls is helping people,” she said, sticking her tongue out to show she was teasing. _Oh, God, why did I do that?_

If it amused Logan, he didn’t show it. “We do two main things. I wanted to create a charity that helps victims of abuse, and that works with families seeking to adopt children from abusive home situations. Both of these things are close to our hearts,” he revealed, “so we consistently work to create a better environment for these victims,” Logan explained, his tone more serious than she’d heard it the entire time they’d known one another. Clearly, this was a personal topic to him, though she didn’t quite know why.

“OK, so you mentioned expansion, right? How are you going to do that?” Veronica asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. “Why?”

Before he could answer, their server arrived and took their orders. They’d each gone for sandwiches; a Monte Cristo for her, and a Turkey Club for him.

After the woman walked away, Logan answered. “We have so much money from Aaron still, and we want to spend it to help people, you know? That man did nothing to help us as people, but damn did his movies pay well. He’d hate nothing more than for his money to go toward helping abuse victims,” Logan said, breaking out into soft laughter. “God, I can see his face now.” Veronica could only describe the expression on the man across from her as self-deprecating. Fuck, what had this guy done to her?

That was the moment she knew his character was worthy of owning a stake in the Cubs. Their interactions so far had consistently shown he was kind and had a good heart, but the forlorn, lost look on his face just hammered home the point. She would fight to get him approved. Her father’s check hadn’t uncovered anything dastardly, and her own intuition was rarely wrong.

“That’s... admirable might not be the right word, but I understand that rationale,” she admitted, cracking a smile. “You’re a solid guy, Logan Echolls. Not exactly what I’d expected, but good.”

Logan smiled. “Just what every man wants to hear. You’re a charmer, Veronica Mars.” He stuck his tongue out at her, mirroring her earlier action, causing her to let out a chuckle.

She spotted their food coming their direction, and paused instead of responding. In between bites, she decided to pick up the conversation. “I meant it as a compliment, Logan. I’ve met a lot of celebrities, and have certain expectations when I introduce myself. You exceeded those.”

“Glad to be pleasantly surprising,” Logan said, smirking. “I’m a man full of surprises, or so my friends tell me.” He bit into his club, and Veronica had to internally reprimand herself when she nearly moved to clean off the turkey juice from the side of his mouth. That wasn’t a road she wanted to go down; it’d just fuel his notion that these were more than business meetings.

Just as Veronica decided on her next topic - whether or not he was a Cubs fan - Logan’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, frowned, mouthed ‘Sorry,’ and picked up with a: “Hello?”

She could only hear his end, but listened intently. 

“Are you sure?” he asked whoever was on the other end. A pause. “No, I get it.” Another. “Damn. Can you find another family, Trin?” he asked, indicating who he was talking to. A longer pause. “Yes, I know that, Trina. You know what that home is like, though. We have to try.” After those words, Logan seemed to listen to his sister for an extended period, saying nothing. Finally, he added, “We can figure it out when I get back. I’m being rude to Veronica,” and hung up, but didn’t look up at her yet.

She noticed the way tears were beginning to gather in the corner of his eyes, and resolved to quickly finish her food so they could get away from prying eyes. She needed to find out what the hell that was all about, but doubted he’d want to discuss it here. When their waiter caught her eyes, she motioned for the check, determined to pick this bill up since it was her choice to eat near her hotel. Plus, it would keep her from being more indebted to Logan.

“Are you OK, Logan?” she asked when he remained silent.

Her words startled him, bringing his eyes to meet hers. “Sorry. I’m sorry. Just thinking.”

“Let’s take our food to go, all right? You look like you need to get out of here,” Veronica offered, smiling when she realized their waiter was heading their way with the check, and had preemptively brought to-go cartons. She snatched the bill before Logan could react, placed her credit card in the inside flap, and handed it back. Logan’s lack of reaction concerned her more than she cared to admit. In the short time they’d known each other, he’d consistently come across as the type of person who would fight tooth and nail to pick up the bill.

“Yeah. Sure,” he mumbled. “Sorry I’m such a bummer all of a sudden.”

“Hey,” she said, reaching for him, pulling back at the last second. Hand contact still seemed too familiar for a business meeting. “Don’t worry about it, OK? If you want to talk about it, I’m here. We can find a bench, all right?”

“That might be good,” Logan said, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t think I would be this sad, but, shit, this always hurts.”

She wasn’t exactly sure what had happened, but whatever it was, Logan was clearly upset, and that made her heart ache for some unknown reason. Fuck, what was this guy _doing_ to her? Thankfully, their server came back with her credit card, so she said, “Let’s get going, Echolls,” and winked at him.

He gave her a small smile, standing up. She once again had to keep herself from reaching for his hand, but led them out of the diner all the same, picking up both of their leftovers bags. 

Veronica walked out onto the street and made a beeline for an unoccupied street bench, beckoning for Logan to follow her. They both sat down, though Logan put his hands between his legs, his head hanging slightly. 

“What happened?” she asked gently, leaning toward him so he knew that she was giving all of her attention to the conversation.

Logan sighed. “An adoption fell through. The family found out that the kid was the son of someone well known, and that the parents were challenging the decision to remove him from the situation and place him in foster care. They got afraid, and backed out.” He shook his head. “This type of shit happens a lot, but this one hit home more than usual.”

Veronica thought about the implications of that, quickly coming to the correct, horrifying conclusion. _Aaron was horrible to her_. That was what he’d said to her, about Lynn. He spoke about his charity like he had personal experience...

_Oh, Logan_.

Not giving a shit about the improper nature of it, Veronica placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”

The part of her that studied law and wanted to help people, that innate sense of right her father had instilled in her, rebelled at how awful Aaron must’ve been. Logan was just a fucking child, a victim in every sense. God, how could her bosses have ever doubted this man’s fitness to be a part owner? She swore to herself that she would do everything in her power to talk him up to Fluows.

“I have to help these kids, Veronica. You don’t understand. I can’t be her.” He raised his eyes to meet hers. “I can’t be like my mother.”

Veronica understood that, all too acutely. “You aren’t like her, Logan. You and your siblings spend all of your time supporting both victims and underprivileged communities. That is the _exact_ opposite of running away.”

“How do you do it? I can’t separate my feelings on the job from the abandonment I always feel whenever I think of my mom. How could she just... She left us to him, and then once he was out of _all_ our lives, she leaves, and I don’t fucking get it. I know we barely know each other, but that shared kinship of having a mom abandon us is something we both know.”

“It’s different for me,” Veronica said. “My dad is a wonderful person, a true role model for me, and the type of parent I’d aspire to be if I ever had kids. I’m... Forgive me if I’m overstepping, but I am guessing you don’t help abuse victims for no reason, yeah?” she said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. 

After a full day of seeing a confident Logan Echolls, this devastated young man beside her was a wake up call. He was layered and genuine and a wonderful person, and she really fucking hated Aaron Echolls right about then.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “Since it wasn’t important to the case, Mom told me to keep it to myself, right? She loved him, or I think she thought she did. We all knew he was going away for murdering Trina’s boyfriend... It’s ironic, right? He killed the guy because he hit Trin, and yet he beat me with a belt every other fucking day. How sad is that?” Logan said, a lone tear slipping down his cheeks. “I don’t know how to not let his shadow follow me around? You’re only here because your bosses didn’t trust me, and that’s due to the Echolls last name. I use Lester professionally for the company, but that doesn’t make one iota of difference when it ultimately comes down to it.”

Veronica whispered, “It’s OK to feel like this,” and just allowed the comfortable silence to exist between them. She knew that the state he was in right now was something she never wanted to see again, though if he ended up spending significant time in Chicago after his minority stake was approved, it could happen.

“He’s my dad, and I fucking hate him,” Logan muttered. “I can’t help but feel like that’s messed up as hell... How could someone who neglected me, who beat me, who made me feel small still have a part of my heart? How can I care about his opinion? Why couldn’t my mom care _more_?” He paused, as if waiting for an answer. They both knew there was none coming.

“You know, Trina wasn’t a great sister when I was a kid. I told you that yesterday, I think. She hero-worshipped Aaron, but after her boyfriend... It opened her eyes, I guess. After that, she was a perfect sister, and I can never repay her enough. Mom fled, and she stayed. Trina became my best friend. And, yet, I sometimes wonder why she could see I was in need and Mom couldn’t.” Logan sighed into her shoulder, and Veronica tightened her grip on him, hugging him more fully.

She smiled softly after a moment. “Your sister seems like she really cares now.”

“We get along great. Such a change from when we were younger. I don’t really care that it wasn’t my accusations that brought us closer; I’m just glad she’s there for me now,” Logan admitted, his words coming out shaky through the occasional tear. “She supports my vision for the charity one hundred per cent, and that’s really nice to have. We want to prevent what happened to me and Mom from happening to more families. Foster homes intervene frequently, but too often, nothing actually happens. We wanted to help match families with these kids. Trina does a lot of the legwork finding good fits, and Charlie and I help.”

Veronica let him rest his head on her shoulder. “I’m proud of the work you’re doing. I know this is just a job for me when push comes to shove, but I can see you care deeply about this, and I am so, so sorry you had to go through that. Aaron Echolls is a bastard, and you’re so much better off with your sister and brother than anywhere else,” Veronica told him. She couldn’t believe how heinously evil that man turned out to be. “You three make a cute family,” she said, softly. Logan glanced up at her, if only realizing she knew Charlie was his brother. “Yeah, my dad figured out he was an Echolls child during his background check. I’m not going to mention that part in my report. It’s not pertinent.”

“Thank you, Veronica. Shit, he really doesn’t want to be in the spotlight. That was his only important condition when we first met him. He asked Trina and I to never go to the press about his existence. He’s our fucking brother, you know? Of course we wouldn’t. I’m really glad to have both of them,” Logan said. He wiped at his eyes, clearing the last remnants of the tears.

His words made Veronica consider their situations. They had two halves of a complete family. She had a competent parent, but no siblings, and Logan had the latter without the former. Yin and yang. “Are you going to be OK, Logan?” she asked. “I don’t have a lot of time left before I have to get on the plane.” In fact, her father would likely be wondering what the fuck was taking her so long at her meeting, especially considering it was just supposed to be a fact-gathering session. _Ugh_.

“I think so,” Logan said. “Thanks for letting me get this all out. Sorry I got your shoulder a little wet.”

Veronica let out a laugh. “Please. Don’t worry yourself over that, Logan. I’m glad I was a good help to you. Remember, dude - you aren’t either of your parents. You’re doing good work, both at your company and at your charity. Keep it up, and just know there’s at least one pesky blonde out in the midwest who’s proud to have met you, OK?” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Nice to meet you, Logan. We’ll be in touch soon about the Cubs, I hope.”

As she walked away, Veronica’s thoughts were consumed by the inevitability that she would meet Logan Echolls again. If she had anything to say about it, it would come to fruition sooner than later.

Her father was worried once she got back to the room, but she paid that no mind. Having less time at the airport - even needing to rush - was completely fucking worth it if it meant she lent a hand to Logan. He needed that more. 

The entire trip to the terminal, wait in the security line, and flight to Chicago, Veronica’s thoughts gravitated back to Logan. Was there anything she could do to help his charity beyond giving Fluows a rave review of her visit? Which would be the complete truth, anyway. She was completely positive Logan would be a spectacular part-owner. He had the means, the drive, and cared about all of his endeavors in life. 

Though, just to be safe, she wasn’t going to mention that part of his reasons for wanting to buy into the Cubs was to spite his father. That might go over less than well. 

All Veronica knew in the end, was that her trip to California was one she wouldn’t forget for a long fucking time, and she was perfectly happy with that.

...

Logan walked back to his car in a trance after his conversation with Veronica. Why had he shared that much of his fucking traumatic childhood with a practical stranger? It didn’t make a lick of sense. The best he could come up with was that he felt a connection to Veronica, even if it was grounded in physical attraction and the loss of a mother.

He texted Trina, telling her he was on the way back to the office, and that they’d discuss the case once he was back, then unlocked his beamer. Fuck.

_I can’t believe that happened_ , Logan thought. Veronica probably felt he was such a crybaby now. Except... He knew she didn’t feel that way. She was all about righteousness, and told him she was proud of his work. Logan didn’t think she’d lie to him about that.

The streets were empty, so his drive back to the office only took a few minutes. The entire time, tears streamed down his face. Logan had done his best to contain the loud, violent sobs that so badly wanted to escape during his talk with Veronica. Now, they were listening no longer. He used his sleeves to wipe at them, but driving made that more difficult. He tried so hard to not think about his childhood these days, but calls like that one brought the bad memories rushing back.

His piece of shit father wasn’t going to make parole for a long fucking time, so there was no real purpose to paying him any mind, right? He had visited Aaron one time after the arrest, right after his eighteenth birthday, to tell his old man to fuck right the hell off. It’d been a tense afternoon, complicated by the fact that, at the time, both were still worried about Lynn’s whereabouts.

Now, he barely gave a crap what his mom was doing. 

Logan parked outside the office and walked forlornly through the revolving doors, waving absently at the security guards. They both nodded at him and buzzed him through the metal detectors.

They had instituted intense security measures at the start of the year, though he himself hadn’t wanted to go so far. Trina and Charlie insisted - just as a legal liability precaution - and he’d eventually relented to their wishes.

It took only a minute for the elevator to reach their floor, and Logan sought out Trina immediately. His sister was already waiting in Logan’s office, and wrapped him up in the type of comforting hug only a sibling could offer. 

“I’m so sorry, brother,” she whispered into his ear, resting her chin on his shoulder. 

He finally allowed himself to relax, the tension from the entire afternoon boiling over into a combination of sobs and familial comfort. “It fucking hurts, Trin. This one feels just like something he’d do.”

“I know, Logan. I know,” she said, moving them over to the couch so he could rest his head in her lap. “It sucks. I don’t know if we’re going to find anyone willing to go up against this family.”

“I had real hope for the Jokins, Trina. What happened?” Logan asked, his voice smaller than he wanted it to be. The wind had been taken right out of his sails by the news, and it didn’t seem to be getting better yet. 

She sighed. “Pretty much exactly what I told you before. I don’t know what we can do. The family is confident they’ll win in court and regain custody of their child.”

“Trina, there are broken bones galore, bruises the size of a fucking baseball, busted lips, lash marks. Social services took the boy away for a reason. How the fuck could any judge willingly return that poor kid to them?” he asked, his words and tone growing increasingly heated the more he spoke. “I don’t understand.”

“Lo, we both know that someone with this level of money - the same kind of wealth Dad had - can make reports go away. Dad blackmailed hospitals into silence and had your teacher shipped off when you told them. It’s part of why I never believed you, and you already know how fucking sorry I am about that.”

Logan wiped at his tears for what felt like the umpteenth time that afternoon already. “You know I’ve forgiven you for that, Trina. You loved Dad, and didn’t want to believe he could do that to me, plus you were away at college those last few years when it got really bad.” He sat up, fighting to get his emotions under control. “Do you think there’s anything we can do?”

“Maybe you could fight fire with fire. We could hire a lawyer, or if you want to go around the family, an investigator to gather evidence impartially, maybe?”

His mind immediately thought of Veronica’s father. If he could discover Charlie’s Echolls heritage, then he was _good_ , and that was exactly what they needed. “I might know a guy.”

Trina gave him a knowing smirk. “Trying to get in good with the dad, eh, Lo? How stereotypical of you.”

He huffed. “He’s good, Trina. Veronica told me he discovered Charlie was our brother. That’s no small feat. Pretty much nobody knows that,” Logan reminded her. “It’s not online anywhere. He’d have needed to track down financial payments back to Lynn or Aaron’s lawyer to know that, and that’s impressive dedication. Plus, that was on short notice. Imagine what the guy could dig up with as much time as he needed? When is the custody hearing?” Logan asked.

“Not for a month or so,” Trina said. “The Jokin family is very scared that they would lose if they finalized the adoption, though.”

He understood that. “I’ll call Keith Mars in a few days, then.”

Logan had a plan, and that would have to be enough for now. He wouldn’t let this boy down the way his mother let them down, no matter what.


End file.
